


Palm of My Hand

by localsportsteam



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: CW for description of childbirth death, F/M, First Baby, and learned about birth, and were like UUUuuhhhHHh adoption actually, him not really KNOWING knowing about pregnancy and then being like...holy fuck, kris stressing about his wife maybe being in pain or uncomfortable, kristoff WORRIES because he LOVES her, like how when we were in 6th grade, this is basically just worry porn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-28 01:23:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20417549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localsportsteam/pseuds/localsportsteam
Summary: Kristoff didn't know all that pregnancy and childbirth entailed until his wife, Anna, became with child. He knew only the delicacy of holding a newborn the size of the palm of his hand, and soon learned he'd have more to be concerned about than what comes after. How could he possibly cope with any harm even potentially coming to the person he loved more than himself?





	Palm of My Hand

“Kristoff?”

Kristoff groaned a little at the disturbance, but his system was already starting to register the light tapering in and the weight on his chest. He felt the soft pillows under his head and the lush cushion of the mattress and had that moment of registration he had nearly every day for the past year - he was not laying on a pile of hay. He was not in a damp cave or laying out in the woods. His bed was soft and feather-stuffed and luxurious. The weight shifted, rolling up his stomach. He opened his eyes and saw that said weight was Anna, sitting astride him with her hands on his shoulders. 

“Kristoff, I have great news.” she said, smiling wide. It must be pretty great for her to be up before noon.

Kristoff yawned and grabbed Anna’s waist, sliding her hands lazily down to her hips. He just liked the feel of her - she was soft and squishy and warm; perfectly huggable and squeezable. “Which is?”

“I just threw up!”

“What? How is that possibly good?” He sat up a little bit to put his left hand to her forehead.

“This is the  _ fifth _ time!”

“I’ll call for a doctor.” Kristoff said worriedly, sitting all the way up, but holding her still. “You lay down-”

“No, I feel fine!” Anna said. “Now, anyway.”

“Okay, are you, like, enjoying this?” Kristoff said. “Either enjoying the throwing up or the confusing me, both are equally strange.”

“Kristoff.” Anna said gently. “I’ve been getting sick for a week.” 

The night’s sleep still lifting off him, it took until now for Kristoff to realize why she could possibly be excited about being sick. 

“Do you - are you - ?”

“I haven’t had my period for two months, I haven’t felt it quicken yet but-”

“You’re pregnant?” Kristoff said, saying those hopeful words gently, his voice still deep and gravelly with sleep.

Anna nodded, biting her lip and squeaking. “I’m pretty sure!”

“That’s wonderful!” Kristoff exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Anna and pulling her close to him. “Oh!” he said, pushing her up. 

Anna laughed. “You won’t crush the baby. It’s very, very tiny right now.” 

“I’m still always worried I’ll crush  _ you _ .” Kristoff said honestly. She was almost a foot shorter than him, and petite. When their relationship had first begun progressing physically he had to hold himself back in more ways than one.

“Nothing could crush me right now.” Anna said, still glowing.

“Oh, my God. I know we’ve talked about it - I had hoped - I just-” Kristoff stammered now, so many thoughts and so much love pouring through his heart that he didn’t know what to say or how to say it. “I love you.” he said. 

“I love you, too.” Anna kissed his cheek. “We’re gonna be parents!” 

“Stay here,” Kristoff said, climbing out of bed. “I’ll get you breakfast.” 

“Kristoff!” Anna laughed. 

“You shouldn’t move. Look, I’ll carry you everywhere if you want. Whatever makes this all easier for you.” 

“That’s very sweet.” Anna smiled. “But Kai brings us breakfast every morning. In fact, she’ll probably be here in five minutes.” 

“Oh, right.” Kristoff said, pacing a little. “You’re amazing.” he dove back into bed, wrapping her up in his arms and pulling her onto his lap. 

“But we can celebrate - maybe with a picnic?” Anna said, tucking her head into his neck. 

“That’d be great!” Kristoff nodded. “Saturday?”

“Yes! Can you let the kitchen know tomorrow?”

“Of course.” Kristoff said.

There were two knocks on the door. “Breakfast!” Kai said cheerfully, opening the door and bringing the smell of eggs and rolls and coffee into the room.

“Oh,  _ ugh _ .” Anna moaned and held out a hand. She stood up slowly. “Nauseous.” she said simply, running out of the room.

…

“Princess Anna will most certainly not be going on a picnic.” 

Kristoff didn’t recall asking permission to take his wife on a picnic, but it seemed to Heidi that he was. Kristoff was irritated at the dismissive way she waved her hand without even looking at him, as if the idea that he and Anna would spend an afternoon together was really so far fetched. He wasn’t the type to pull rank, but this wasn’t rank. He wanted to spend the day with his wife. She wanted to go on a picnic. He’d pack the food himself, if that was the issue.

“Why not, exactly?”

“Princess Anna is with child, sir.” 

“I’m aware of that.” Kristoff said, trying to not roll his eyes. He, in fact, was a significant part of  _ why _ she was.

“She has the luxury of not needing to be active, so she won’t be.”

“Surely there’s no harm in taking a short walk and sitting down?” Kristoff said, genuinely confused. It was a picnic, not a mountain climbing expedition. And, like Anna had said, the baby was still very, very small. It would not be a lot of extra weight.

“It’s not an extremely serious threat.” Heidi conceded. “But walking will strain her, and it will strain the baby. If she were to take a light walk, maybe in the gardens, then that would be okay. But I know Princess Anna as well as you -”

Kristoff doubted this. 

“-And she doesn’t go on a walk. She runs and climbs and takes off. She might fall or hurt herself and then who knows what could happen to her - or to the baby?”

Kristoff had to admit - she did at least know  _ that _ much about Anna. She got caught up in any activity, and took risks because, well, it seemed like she didn’t really care if she got hurt. And Kristoff had learned how to protect her, but he didn’t know if it was different with a child. “Is it really that risky?”

“Pregnancy is dangerous, Mr. Bjorgman. We have to be careful.”

“Well, yeah.” Kristoff agreed. “But she’s got all the doctors in the kingdom, right? And she’s healthy and young.”

“There are good things.” Heidi nodded. “But health pre-pregnancy does not guarantee smooth sailing. The doctors tending to her are of course intelligent and well-trained, but some things are only up to God.” 

Kristoff’s heart dropped into his stomach. He didn’t know a lot about pregnancy, this was true. He knew enough to understand that it was new and uncomfortable in a lot of ways, but he hadn’t pieced together that it could be dangerous for Anna. 

“So does she, what, just stay bedbound?” Kristoff said, half in concern, half in disbelief. He fully realized then that he never had actually known a pregnant person. He knew people with children, but had never seen someone go  _ through _ a pregnancy. Other than the public view of curved bellies and the common lore of strange cravings and fumbled thoughts, he didn’t know anything. 

He especially didn’t know things could be  _ concerning _ . Uncomfortable, yes. But not dangerous. 

“I’m not saying these things to scare you.” Heidi promised, her voice dropping and softening as she saw the worry creasing into his face. “You haven’t much knowledge about these things, do you?” 

Kristoff swallowed, finding his throat dry. He shook his head. “I know...some.” He’d grown up with trolls, more removed from humans than with them. The interaction he got as he grew was with men as they cut and hauled ice. They spoke of their wives and their sisters and their daughters, and Kristoff had met women when he was invited for dinners or shelter in sudden storms. Pregnancy was a fact of life he’d come to learn about, but the men spent more time and detail on how it began, not how it ended. The middle was all but glossed over. They’d swap the strange things their wives craved and the ends they went to procure them, they would leave the harvesting early to make sure they could go home and let their wives get off swollen feet, they brought their daughters back into their houses so that the family could help with the early weeks of the newborn. These were the things Kristoff understood about pregnancy. 

And Kristoff had seen babies - so tiny and delicate with hands so small they could barely wrap around his thumb. He’d held the newborn of a friend, only once, and had the sudden thought of dropping it. Nervously he handed the baby back. He didn’t want to hurt the child, but he was so big and so tall - what if he dropped it or crushed it or did something wrong?

“Have you ever had - a sister, perhaps?”

“I’ve no family.” Kristoff said, head still spinning faster than the conversation could keep up. “I’ve seen pregnancy but never...up close. Never someone I knew particularly well.” he looked at Heidi again. “How bad is it? I’ve heard people make jokes and I understood it to be uncomfortable-”

“That’s what it’ll be, most likely. Not all the time, especially not at first.” Heidi promised.

“She’s throwing up, but a lot-”

“That’s normal.” Heidi cut in, assuring him. “It happens to most people. Some just get it worse than others. It doesn’t mean she’s sick.”

“Will she be in pain?” Kristoff asked. 

“Some, inevitably. Childbirth is usually incredibly painful.” Heidi said.

“Can I help?”

Heidi smiled at him, feeling a bit of pity at his distress. “Believe me, I’m sure she’d love to have you carry part of the load. The doctors and nurses will do everything possible, but it just can’t be helped.” 

“Is there pain only during the birth?”

“No. During the pregnancy there’s just discomfort. It may be uncomfortable to walk, or sleep a certain way, or do certain activities. Just...she’ll know. Listen to her. She’ll ask for what she needs.”

“Yeah, of course.” Kristoff nodded. Nine months. She’d have to endure this for nine months. He felt terrible at even the idea of it. But some of the time had already passed. Hopefully the rest would go quickly.

“If it’s a source of comfort, Princess Anna has undoubtedly been instructed in what to expect, both formally and informally.”

“Informally?”

“Well, she’s received more medical education about what exactly pregnancy and childbirth is, but there’s also parents all over the castle. Anna is talkative. She’s surely heard many stories.”

That was a source of comfort - at least she knew what she was getting herself into, and was still able to be excited about it. “Do you have children?” Kristoff asked.

“Yes.” Heidi smiled. “Three. All healthy. I know this is all a lot, and it seems scary, but it can all turn out fine.”

“Can?”

“I don’t want to lie to you, Mr. Bjorgman.”

“And I appreciate that. But what do you mean by ‘can’?”

“Well, pregnancy is long and complicated.” Heidi said. “Things can go wrong.”

“With the baby or with Anna?”

“Both.”

_ Both _ . Kristoff felt a knot in his stomach. “Like what?”

“Sometimes there are...deformities to the baby. Or injuries to the mother.”

“What is the worst,  _ worst _ case scenario?” Kristoff asked. If he knew, he could prepare. He could stave it off. He could make sure than Anna had whatever she needed. 

Heidi bit her lip, seeming to weigh whether it would be better to lie. “Worst case scenario...she and the baby die.”

Even just the possibility of it hit Kristoff like the stinging cold of being plunged into a frozen river, like a block of ice slipping from it’s station and falling upon him. His head spun through every unpleasant shock he’d felt in the course of his life and each felt so woefully inadequate to describe how he felt about even the possibility, the risk of losing Anna. Especially like this.

“We’ll do everything we can to make sure that she’s safe - and sometimes it means being overprotective.” Heidi said. “But we’ve all discussed this for a while - overcautious is better than reckless.” 

“Yes.” Kristoff nodded. “Yes absolutely.” 

…

The weeks somehow passed too quickly and too slowly. There was so much to do to prepare for the baby - both in terms of items to be prepared and chosen and gathered, and to gather up the emotional will to be the sole source of love and support for an entire human being.

Kristoff mostly sits with Anna throughout the day, trying to not show her that he’s worried. Anna doesn’t understand everything he’s thinking, because he doesn’t tell her, but she enjoys the company. The staff is very insistent that she stay indoors, especially with winter coming (Anna finds this to be ludacris, as it’s September). It’s a royal baby, the first of the next generation. Heir is not a word tossed around, as it is not Elsa’s child, and Elsa is still young, but it’s impossible to avoid. 

And as a potential heir, as a being of royal blood, as a child who has the privilege to be born to a family that doesn’t need to labor or work, every protection is taken. Anna understands, at first. In theory it makes sense. Nine months is a long time, but the baby has a whole life after that. And so does she. There will be other months to be comfortable. There will be other months to have fun.

Anna is willing to make these sacrifices, because she always is. 

So she stays inside. She’s brought tea and sandwiches and books to pass the time, and when she has cravings they’re satisfied quickly by a team of cooks. Kristoff is with her all the time, holding her and rubbing her back and her feet and wherever tension knots. They talk about the nursery and baby names. Gifts are shipped in from countries all around the world; boxes full of tiny outfits and little toys.

They talk about their child in a thousand hypotheticals; 

“Who do you think it’ll look like more?” Anna asks. 

“I hope you.” Kristoff laughs. It’s a joke, but he means it. Every part of Anna is beautiful - her freckles, the turned-up nose, the pink flush on her shoulders. Her voice, her mannerisms, the ballerina hairs that curl on her forehead and the nape of her neck.

Anna gives a pouty lip. “You’re the handsomest man I know, don’t say that.” She means that, too.

“Do you think the baby will like ice?”

Anna laughs. “How could they not?” 

“I wish I still had my little sled.” Kristoff furrows his brow. “I can build another one.”

“I had a horrible dream. The baby had crab claws.”

“I don’t think that’ll happen.” Kristoff says, chuckling a little. 

“The odds are 50-50, Kristoff!” 

“Then I guess we’re risking it all!”

“What do you think it’ll be like?”

“I don’t know.” Kristoff says honestly. “I think about it every day. I don’t know what it’ll be like to watch the baby grow up, and see the quirks that you have, and the ones you claim I have-”

Anna rolled her eyes but leaned up against him. 

Kristoff continued. “I don’t know what happens when we notice that the baby has my nose or your hair. We’ll never know which day is the one babies start doing things. One day it’ll just walk. One day it’ll start speaking. I don’t want to mess this up.” 

“You won’t. We won’t.” Anna says firmly.

“How can you be so sure?” 

“Because you care enough to worry like this.”

...

As the months passed, Kristoff reconciled himself with being able to feel excitement and dread in equal measure. He wanted to be a dad. Anna wanted to be a mom. They were excited for those early morning breakfasts, teaching the child what they knew, sharing and watching them grow. Kristoff worries about Anna’s health and comfort, and Anna tries not to show her fear of the birth, but it’s there. 

“Oh, Kristoff,  _ look _ .” Anna cooed, holding up a pair of tiny baby socks. “Hold out your hands.” He does, and Anna slips the booties over his thumbs. “Can you believe this baby could possibly be so  _ small _ ?” she says with adoration and wonder.

Oh, he could believe. “They’ll be here soon.” Kristoff shifted his weight on the bed, enjoying how Anna rolled so easily into him still. At this point it was almost like she didn’t think before she did it. He moved, and she moved. She tucked herself into him and sighed. 

“Gerda did the ring thing on me.” Anna said, running a hand down her belly. 

“Ring thing?”

“I don’t know what it’s called. It’s an old wives’ tale - that if you move a ring on a chain a certain way it will reveal if you’re having a boy or a girl.”

“And?” Kristoff pressed.

“Are you  _ suuuree _ you want to know?” Anna teased. 

“Anna, you could birth out a lizard and I’d be excited.” 

“Oh thank God, because the ring said lizard.” 

Kristoff snorted. “Was the ring any more specific?”

Anna rested her cheek on his chest, looking up at him and smiling. “Girl lizard.” 

Kristoff beamed and kissed Anna, cupping her cheek in his hand. 

“Are you excited?”

“I’m excited for everything.” Kristoff promised, kissing her forehead. “As long as you and the baby are healthy, that’s all that matters.”

Anna smiled, but raised an eyebrow. “Everyone always says that.”

“What?”

“Everything is about my health, the baby’s health. Like we’re standing on a great precipice and if I stagger forward we’ll both plunge to our deaths.  _ Don’t do this, it’s not healthy for the baby.  _ Which I get, I do.” she shrugged. “I want her to be healthy as well. But I’m not allowed to go on walks, and I’m never alone anymore, and people are always prodding me and rubbing my belly to feel if the baby is moving.” 

“It’s only for a few more months, though.” Yes it would be annoying, he could understand that. But she knew the stakes, too!

“Ugh I want the baby out now!” Anna complained, rolling her head back. 

“Oh, knock on wood.” Kristoff said. “Still too early. Don’t jinx it!” 

“It’s not a jinx!” Anna slumped. “This sucks. I’m swollen all the time, my back hurts, everything  _ sucks _ .”

“I’ll rub your back.” Kristoff offered. 

“No. Get this baby out of me.” 

“Anna-” 

“Hold that thought. I have to pee.” Anna said, getting up and angrily waddling off.

…

It was night to another quiet day. Kristoff and Anna sat around mostly. Kristoff read some, napped some, and went on a walk by himself. Anna leaned up against him for a while, reading herself, but she couldn’t seem to focus and swapped book for book for book, never settling on one long enough to read it. When he went to go for his walk, feeling restless, Anna tried to come with but Kristoff encouraged her to lie down for a nap instead.

When he came back, she was quiet but didn’t seem to be upset. She was lost in thought, pushing her food around at dinner and sitting for only a couple hours before announcing that she was going upstairs for bed. Kristoff said he’d go up with her, and they washed their faces and changed into pajamas. Anna didn’t say anything the whole time, which was peculiar for her, but perhaps she was just tired. 

But she broke the silence by yelling, “I hate this!”, picking up a pillow and throwing it onto the ground. She looked down at the pillow and covered her face with her hands, bursting into tears. 

Kristoff froze. He’d seen Anna cry before, but it had never come out of nowhere before. “Anna?” he said, walking over to her. 

She grabbed his shirt and balled it up in her hands, leaning her head into his chest. “I hate this…” she said again, crying. 

His heart sunk as he wrapped his arms around her. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve had enough! Enough!”

“What’s wrong, honey?”

“Everyone’s watching me all the time, everyone’s prodding and coddling me as though I’m a child who couldn’t help but fling herself down a flight of stairs the first chance I got!”

Kristoff felt a sickening sadness spread through his chest. “You’re right.” he said. “I know everyone is overzealous. I know I am too.”

“Can’t we go do something, like normal? Would that really ruin everything?”

“No.” Kristoff promised her. She pulled her face back, looked up at him, swollen and blotchy. He kissed her forehead. “Sorry.” he said. 

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow. Whatever you want.”

“I’m still a person. Beyond and outside of this baby.” Anna said, voice hitching. “I’m so tired of sitting around, of doing nothing, of aching and hurting and getting poked and prodded. And-and-” she stammered. “Everyone talks about the baby and how the baby feels and keeping her safe and I feel selfish for getting upset over it because of course I want the baby to be safe and healthy, but it’s just wearing down on me! It just is!”

“Yeah. Yeah, okay. I understand” Kristoff nodded, rubbing her back. “We can do whatever you want to.”

“I just - I’m sorry.” 

“Anna, you don’t have to apologize. You’re not doing anything wrong.” Kristoff promised. “We’ll do whatever you want tomorrow.”

...

Her scream rings through the castle, reverberating off the vaulted ceilings and into the hallways. 

Anna squeezes his hand so tight he loses all feeling in it. He’s had only similar sensations before. Once, when he was too focused on getting a block of ice out of a river, he had kept his hand submerged in the cold water for too long. When he put his numbed hand on the block of ice, a razor of pain shot through it. Every time she squeezed she hurt his hand and his heart because there was nothing he could do. 

“Just breathe, baby.” he said, feeling stupid while saying it. But what else was there even to say?

But he should’ve meant it more, said it more strongly, because she struggled to do just that, drawing in weak, raspy, choking breaths, loosening her grip so much that he missed the pain, because at least it was an indicator that she was still strong. 

And then there was blood.

Kristoff didn’t even see at first, watching his wife’s face grow redder and then slowly fade. And the doctors moved more quickly than before, enough to draw attention and concern, getting rags to mop up more blood than Kristoff assumes is normal. Why didn’t he ask if there’d be bleeding? It made sense, he supposed, but not  _ this _ much. She couldn’t possibly bleed this much.

He did this to her. He did this. He was selfish and greedy, insistent on touching her and wanting more. Wanting all of her and smaller versions. He wanted a family but he didn’t know, he hadn’t thought - had he  _ known _ , then maybe.

“This is your fault.” The doctor looked up, blood coated up to her elbows. “She’d be fine if you hadn’t done this.” 

“It’s the nature of men.” A nurse sneered, dropping a pile of blood-soaked clothes. “You knew there’d be consequences - you just didn’t want to admit it. And now look at her.” 

Kristoff, mouth agape, looked down at his wife. She wasn’t squeezing his hand. Her hand was held up only because he was still holding it; clutching it. Her face was so white every freckle stood out like a period at the end of a sentence. 

“Anna?” he said, his voice choking. “Baby, please.” 

He didn’t want to touch her; he couldn’t bear to hurt her more. He reached his hand out and gently stroked his thumb down her cheek, feeling where a tear was not-yet dried. 

“She’s not going to respond.” a nurse threw a towel at him. “You’ve killed her. Clean yourself up and get out.”

Kristoff shot awake from his dream, sitting up slowly, staggeringly. Anna still slept peacefully, arm thrown over her eyes. Just a dream, just a terrible nightmare. But, in time, he’d live out a version of it. Anna was going to give birth - the time was close, and even if something went wrong (much as he hated to think about it) there was no other option but for her to go through the birthing process. 

He looked over at his wife, who was snoozing softly. Shaking a little, he gathered her up gently in his arms and pressed her back to him, hoping that somehow he could be enough to protect her from himself. 

…

The morning sun slipped up softly and gently, wound up in clouds. The light sprinkled across the fjords. April came in gently, promising a soft spring and a vibrant summer. A bench and an ottoman were pushed together on a balcony outside. Kristoff and Anna sat, wrapped up in blankets. 

“Are you comfortable?” Kristoff asked, squeezing Anna a little tighter. 

She had her cheek on his chest and ran a finger from his neck to his belly button. He felt himself tighten a little, as he always did under her touch. 

“Very.” she said softly, looking up at him. She laid a hand on his jawline and stretched up to kiss him. 

“I think, when the baby gets older, but like one or two, we should bring her up the mountains.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah! That’s where you grew up. She should experience it too.”

Kristoff smiled a little as he thought about pulling their child around on a sled, bringing them to frozen rivers and fjords made solid. Icicles glinting off trees as finely as any bauble. Watching his child get strong enough to pull ice and ride reindeer. 

“Elsa made her a little snowsuit.” Anna gasped, remembering suddenly. “It’s adorable. Brown with little deer sewn in. I’ve got to show you.”

“Absolutely.” Kristoff nodded. “Later. Later though.” 

The moment was too lovely to be cut short so soon. Everything was so peaceful and quiet. The staff was up but it was not yet time for either Anna or Kristoff to attend to any of their duties, or even eat yet. They had the early rays of the sun and dreams of their daughter and each other. Always each other.

“Anna, I’m sorry.” Kristoff said. 

“What?” Anna furrowed her brow and turned to him. “What could you possibly be sorry for?”

“For making you go through all of this. I didn’t know pregnancy was so terrible, and I didn’t know it’d take so much out of you. I don’t think I would’ve talked so much about family had I known.”

“Kristoff.” 

“I know you’re in pain, and I know what’ll happen later, and I’m sorry that we’ve all been so overzealous and overprotective that you couldn’t even enjoy being Anna while you were in the process of becoming a mother.” 

“Kristoff.” Anna said, more firmly. “This is tough, I know that. I knew that before I even got pregnant. It’s not your fault, any more so than it’s mine. Fault is a bad word, because this wasn’t a problem - I want this baby. Do you?”

“Well yes, of course! But-”

“No buts. This is the way it works. And Kristoff,” she said, grabbing one of his hands with both of hers. “For the record, there is not a man on this planet that has been more doting, more understanding, more loving than you. Maybe ever.” 

Kristoff smiled a little. “I just wish you didn’t have to go through this alone.” 

“Alone? Kristoff, I know alone. This isn’t it. I have Elsa and a whole castle looking after my health and the baby’s health moreso than their own. I have a hundred countries sending in gifts and tips and well wishes. And I have you, with me all the time, loving me and being wonderful.” Anna kissed his cheek and settled back into his shoulder. “It’s fine that you’re worried, I am too. But I still want a big family, so you’ve got to get used to this, I suppose.”

“After all this? Still?” 

“If they’re  _ your _ kids? Absolutely. We need as much of you in the world as possible.”

...

Anna’s water broke three days later. She and Elsa were standing in the hall, talking, when Anna buckled down a little. 

“What’s wrong?” Elsa asked. 

“I feel - oh, my God - “ Anna said, looking down. 

With focus and an intentional steadiness, Elsa had nodded and called out for maids. They got Anna to the nearest bedroom and sent for doctors, and to alert Kristoff. 

Kristoff was out in the stables, taking care of Sven, and he dropped all the carrots he was holding when Kai told him, running off towards the palace. 

“Where’s Anna?” he said to each staff he passed, slowly working his way up to the room she was lying in. He lunged for the door when - 

“Oh, no.” A nurse grabbed his arm, tugging him back. She wasn’t stronger than he was, but took him by such surprise he froze. 

“What?”

“You can’t go in there.”

“Isn’t Anna in there?”

“Well, yes.”

“Then I’m going in!”

“It’s not necessary, Mr. Bjorgman.” the nurse waved him off. “We’ll come fetch you when the baby is born.”

“What? No, she’s my wife, I’m going to be there.” Kristoff said angrily.

“Oh, it’s not pleasant to look at.” The nurse insisted. 

“Do you really think that’s why I care about? That’s my  _ wife _ . I’m going to be there unless  _ she _ kicks me out.”

The nurse rolled her eyes, but she had never been in love. Before she could say or do anything else, Kristoff had gone into the room. 

Anna was red and sweaty, bits of her hair plastered to her forehead. She screamed and it hurt, but it didn’t bounce through the whole world like it had in his nightmare. It was human and real and contained in this room where he and his wife were together. He sat next to her on the bed and gripped her hand. 

“Kristoff,” she moaned rolling her head back. “I can’t do it. It hurts too much.” 

“You can.” He promised her. “You’re the strongest person I know, Anna.” 

“I can’t even lift  _ one _ block of ice.” she complained. Kristoff smiled at the fact that she found humor even in this situation, but took her hand firmly.

“We’re going to need you to push.” the doctor looked at her, smiling assuredly. “It’s almost over.” 

“Squeeze my hand when it hurts.” Kristoff said. “We’ll get through this.” 

“Are we going to be good parents?” Anna asked.

“Push, princess.” the doctor said.

Anna gritted her teeth. 

“We’re going to be great parents.”

“We can give the child everything.” Anna nodded, exhaling and slumping back. 

“That’s true.” Kristoff agreed. “But, more importantly, we’ll love it. Always. In every way.” 

“Nuance, but.” the doctor smiled as Anna gave a final push, squeezing her husband’s hand so hard it turned red then white. “You’ll love  _ her _ .” 

And the doctor passed their tiny, red-faced, crying daughter to the new parents. Anna, flushed and exhausted, breathing deeply, sat safely and wholly beside him, cradling the infant. Kristoff reached out, his hand alone almost as large as the baby.

His worry was worth it; to see his wonderful, strong wife have pulled off an ancient miracle.


End file.
